The Struggle for Syria: Strategic Rivalry and the Risks of Escalation
Sarı, Buğra | Kırışık, Avnihan
This article investigates the rivalry between Turkey and Israel over Syria, which has intensified since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. The two states have pursued conflicting security objectives, becoming principal actors in Syria's shifting political landscape. Ankara seeks to combat groups affiliated with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, build up a friendly regime in Damascus, and establish a lasting military presence. By contrast, Israel aims to secure its northern border by creating a buffer zone against the new Islamist government and targeting Iran-linked infrastructure. These conflicting strategies have raised the risk of proxy violence or even direct confrontation, especially in key areas like Quneitra, near the Golan Heights, and Druze-inhabited areas i...
The Strategic Interaction between Turkey and Iran in the Syrian Crisis: A Game Theoretical Analysis of the Time Frame from 2011 to 2015
Sarı, Buğra
The Syrian crisis has revealed the clashing strategic interests of Turkey and Iran. The two states are pursuing opposite policies on the Syrian crisis to such an extent that Turkish regional policies concentrate on the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, whereas Iran devotes its resources to helping the regime stay in power. The reasons of these clashing policies are important that they reflect regional objectives of Turkey and Iran. In this respect, this study investigates the causal relationship between the regional ambitions of Turkey and Iran, as the independent variable, and the contradictory policies of these two countries in the Syrian crisis, as the dependent variable. By doing so, it aims to articulate the role of Turkish and Iranian regional ambitions by taking into ...